Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Opioid overdose deaths in the United States fell sharply from 2023 to 2024, driven largely by decreases in deaths involving fentanyl, and Ohio’s drop was even steeper, according to a new national report (Source: Opioid Deaths Dropped In 2024, and Ohio’s Decline was Even Steeper: Report, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 18).
Nationally, the total number of deaths dropped about 32% from about 79,000 in 2023 to 54,000 in 2024, according to the new report from KFF. Ohio saw deaths fall about 45% from nearly 4,000 in 2023 to about 2,200 in 2024, KFF said. The state’s opioid overdose death rate was 20.1 per 100,000 population in 2024.
West Virginia had the highest rate (38.6 per 100,000) among U.S. states in 2024. Nebraska had the lowest rate at 3.3 per 100,000 population.